Submarine

ABSTRACT

A submarine is designed for combating oil when submerged. The submarine includes a snout ( 14, 36 ) which is conduit-connected to a conduit leading into the submarine. The snout ( 14, 36 ) is part of an oil suction device and/or part of a device for bringing out an oil decomposition substance. The snout ( 14 ) may be designed in a rigid manner and be pivotable from a position between a pressure hull ( 6 ) of the submarine and an outer hull ( 10 ) forming an upper deck ( 12 ) of the submarine, into a position outside the outer hull ( 10 ). The snout ( 36 ) may also be designed in a flexible manner, wherein the snout ( 36 ) is fastened in a section adjacent to a free end, on an ROV ( 40 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a United States National Phase Application ofInternational Application PCT/EP2012/060761 filed Jun. 6, 2012 andclaims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of German PatentApplication DE 10 2011 104 122.6 filed Jun. 7, 2011, the entire contentsof which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a submarine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Offshore oil production in the Arctic has become economical due to theincreased oil demand and the reduction of other reserves. If however oilspills occur during the production, combating the oil spillage has beenfound to be particularly problematic if the oil collects below thesurface of the ice and is thus not directly accessible. Ice layers up toa certain thickness can be broken with ice breakers and the oil locatedtherebelow can be combated by way of scooping up, flaring off or by wayof the addition of oil decomposition products. The application of icebreakers however is no longer possible with ice layers of a greaterthickness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Against this background, it is the object of the invention to create thepossibility of being able to combat oil located below the ice layer,even with such ice layers which can no longer be broken up byicebreakers.

According to the invention, a submarine is designed for combating oilwhen submerged. The submarine includes a snout which isconduit-connected to a conduit leading into the submarine. The snout ispart of an oil suction device and/or part of a device for bringing outan oil decomposition substance. The snout may be designed in a rigidmanner and be pivotable from a position between a pressure hull of thesubmarine and an outer hull forming an upper deck of the submarine, intoa position outside the outer hull. The snout may also be designed in aflexible manner, wherein the snout is fastened in a section adjacent toa free end, on an ROV.

The basic idea of the invention is to combat oil which with oilproduction in the Arctic collects in an oil bubble below a sheet of iceafter spills, from below the sheet of ice by way of submarine submergedto the oil bubble. I.e. according to the invention, a submarine isprovided, which is designed for combating oil at submerged travel orwhilst submerged. Accordingly, it is no longer necessary to break openthe ice sheet located over the oil, in order to have access to the oil,before combating the oil.

With regard to the submarine according to the invention, it is the caseof a manned submarine which can be designed for comparatively shallowsubmerged depths, since it is applied in a region which is directlyadjacent the surface of the water. Usefully, the submarine comprises adrive which is independent of external air, for example a fuel celldrive, since the submarine, as the case may be, must spend a longer timebelow a closed ice layer. The submarine is equipped with means forreceiving the oil located below the surface of the ice and/or with meansfor bringing out oil decomposition means such as chemical dispersants ormeans for accelerating bioremediation, and/or oil binding agents, forcombating the oil.

The submarine according to the invention preferably comprises an oilsuction device. The submarine further preferably comprises a snout(nozzle or trunk) as part of the oil suction device, in order to be ableto suck away the oil at a position adequately distanced to the ice layerand thus prevent collision of the submarine with the ice layer. Thissnout can be fastened in a rigid or movable manner on the submarine onthe outer side of a pressure hull of the submarine in the region of anupper deck, wherein it is aligned perpendicularly or preferablyobliquely in the direction of the water surface. A snout which when notin use is arranged for example in the space between the pressure hulland the outer hull, in particular in the region of the upper deck and ismovable out of this space into its operating position for sucking awayoil is however preferred. A suction head in the form of a suction nozzleor a suction cup can be formed at the free end of the snout. On the partof the submarine, the snout is usefully connected to an oil suctionpump, with which the oil is pumped into the submarine or into a tanklocated outside the submarine.

The snout can be designed in a rigid manner which is simple with regardto design, and be pivotable from a position between the pressure hull ofthe submarine and an outer hull forming the upper deck of the submarine,into a position outside the outer hull. A rigid pipe then forms thesnout in this case. This pipe or tube as the case may be, can bedesigned in a telescopic manner. A pivot mechanism is arranged on theoutside of the pressure hull of the submarine. The snout is connected tothis pivot mechanism. The snout is pivoted with the pivot mechanism suchthat its end which is away from the submarine reaches into the oilbubble. The submarine usefully dynamically retains its position belowthe oil bubble during the sucking of the oil. For this, the submarineaccording to the invention can advantageously be equipped with anauxiliary drive, for example with an inline thruster.

In an advantageous, alternative design, the snout can be designed in aflexible manner, wherein the snout is fastened in a section adjacent toits free end, on an ROV (remotely operated vehicle), i.e. onto aremotely controlled, in particular cable-led underwater vehicle.Accordingly, the snout can be a hose which is to say a flexible tube,which for sucking oil is wound off from a motorically actuated hose drumwhich is arranged in the intermediate space between the pressure hull ofthe submarine and the upper deck, wherein the free hose end with thesuction nozzle or suction cup fastened thereto, is moved to the oilbubble in a remote-controlled manner by the ROV, on which the hose isfastened. The use of a flexible snout has the advantage that no rigidconnection exists between the suction head and the submarine. Contactsof the suction head or of the snout with the lower side of the ice donot endanger the submarine or the snout. Moreover, movements of thesubmarine no longer have an effect on the positioning of the suctionhead, since the positioning of the snout and thus of the suction head isassumed by the ROV. A particularly efficient sucking-away of oil ispossible by way of this.

Further advantageously, a submarine which comprises an oil suctiondevice with a flexible snout which can be moved by an ROV can also beused to suck away fuel out of sunken ships. In this case, the submarinepositions itself in the proximity of the sunken ship, but at a distanceto this ship. The snout is then moved by the ROV up to the ship suchthat a suction cup formed on the snout comes to bear on a ship's sidewhich delimits the fuel bunker. After an opening has been previouslycreated on the ship's side, the fuel is pumped with the oil suctiondevice of the submarine according to the invention out of the fuelbunker into the submarine or into a tank located outside the submarine.

The localization of an oil accumulation located below the ice surfacecan be effected by way of coordinates determined above water, which arethen transferred to the submarine. The submarine according to theinvention, however particularly preferably, has its own oil locatingdevice. Hereby, it is preferably the case of a sonar system, with whichoil can be detected.

As a rule, not only oil, but a seawater/oil mixture, can be sucked withthe oil suction device of the submarine according to the invention. Forthis reason, the submarine usefully comprises an oil/water separatingdevice. The water separated from the oil in this separating procedure ispumped away via a lock formed on the submarine, out of the submarine tothe outboard.

The submarine according to the invention advantageously comprises atleast one oil tank for storing the sucked-away oil. Here, it can be thecase of an oil tank which is fixedly installed in the submarine andwhose holding volume corresponds to the holding capacity of conventionalsurface oil-combating vessels. The oil is preferably pumped into the oiltank by way of a pump arranged on the exit side of the oil outlet of theoil/water separating device. As soon as the oil tank is completelyfilled, the submarine travels into the next ice-free port or harbour orinto an ice-free zone, where a surface tanker waits for the submarine.There, the submarine transfers the oil and, as the case may be, receivesfuel and provisions, in order to subsequently return back to itsdeployment location.

Instead of an oil tank installed in a fixed manner, the submarineaccording to the invention can particularly advantageously compriseseveral oil tanks which can be brought out of the submarine. With regardto these oil tanks, it is preferably the case of flexible tanks whichwithout filling only assume a small storage volume in the submarine, butwhose inner volume significantly increases on filling due to theflexibility of the oil tank. The filling of this flexible tank isusefully effected outside the submarine. Accordingly, the submarinepreferably comprises a lock for bringing the oil tank out of thesubmarine.

Further advantageously, the submarine according to the inventioncomprises a filling device for filling the flexible oil tank. Thisfilling device is preferably arranged at the oil exit of the oil/waterseparating device. The filling device preferably comprises a pump, anintermediate storage device and a filling nozzle which within thesubmarine can be connected to a flexible oil tank. The filling nozzle ispreferably arranged within the lock for bringing out the flexible oiltank. After closure of the oil tank at the filling nozzle, the oil tankis brought to the outside of the submarine via the lock by way offlooding this and a subsequent automatic opening of an outer hatch coverof the lock, and is filled here outside the submarine. Moreover, thefilling device comprises means with which the filling nozzle can beseparated from within the submarine, from the flexible tank after itsfilling. In order to prevent the oil from running out of the oil tankafter separation of the filling nozzle from the oil tank, the oil inletof the oil tank is usefully provided with a check valve. This checkvalve is preferably arranged in a solid hose piece of the oil tank whichconnects the oil tank and the filling nozzle.

After the separation of the filling nozzle from the oil tank, the oiltanks due to buoyancy rise to directly below the ice layer, where at alater point in time, they can be received by a further submarine as thecase may be, or, when the ice has disappeared, by a surface vessel, andcan be transported to a harbour or to a surface vessel. The fillingdevice can advantageously comprise means, with which a gas can bebrought into the oil tanks, for the improvement of the buoyancycharacteristics of the flexible oil tank.

Usefully, the submarine according to the invention comprises a storagespace, in which the not yet filled, flexible oil tanks are stored.Advantageously, a transport device can be provided in the submarine, forthe transport of the oil tank from the storage space to the fillingdevice. This transport device is preferably designed in a manner suchthat it automatically receives an oil tank in the storage space andtransports it to the filling device in front of its filling nozzle and,after fastening the filling nozzle on the oil tank, is transported tothe lock for bringing out the oil tank.

Apart from sucking away oil, the snout of the suction device of thesubmarine according to the invention can also serve for bringingchemical and/or biological oil decomposition agents to an oil bubblelocated below an ice sheet. For this, the snout is preferablyconnectable onto a pump for bringing out oil decomposition means. Theoil decomposition means are delivered or conveyed from the submarine tothe oil bubble via the snout, by way of this pump.

The invention is hereinafter explained in more detail by way ofembodiment examples represented in the drawing. The various features ofnovelty which characterize the invention are pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisdisclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operatingadvantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferredembodiments of the invention are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic greatly simplified view showing a submarinedesigned for combating oil, in a first embodiment and on deployment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic greatly simplified view showing a submarinedesigned for combating oil, in a second embodiment, on deployment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic greatly simplified view showing a submarinedesigned for combating oil, in a third embodiment, on deployment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic greatly simplified view showing a snout of an oilsuction device of the submarine according to FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic greatly simplified view showing the submarinedesigned for combating oil, in the first embodiment with the snoutpivoted through an opening which is formed on the upper deck.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings in particular, FIGS. 1 to 3 in each caserepresent a submarine submerged below an ice sheet 2. Oil which hasspilled during oil production has collected into an oil bubble 4directly below the lower side of the ice sheet 2.

The submarines according to FIGS. 1 to 3 in each case comprise apressure hull 6. These submarines in each case are driven by an electricdrive 8 which is independent of external air, is arranged in thepressure hull 6 and drives a propeller 9. The pressure hulls 6 of theshown submarines are surrounded by an outer hull 10 on the bow side andon the upper side. A section of the outer hull 10 which is arranged onthe upper side of the pressure hull 6 in a manner distanced to thepressure hull 6 forms an upper deck 12 of the submarines. Moreover, thethree represented submarines in each case comprise an oil suctiondevice. The submarines are moreover each equipped with an oil locatingdevice 13 which is formed by a sonar device arranged on the bow side inthe region of the upper deck 12, for locating an oil bubble 4 locatedbelow an ice sheet 2.

With the embodiment examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the oil suctiondevice comprises a snout 14 which is formed by a straight, rigid tube.The snout 14 is pivotably mounted on the outer side of the pressure hull6 and can be pivoted through an opening which is formed on the upperdeck 12 but which is not shown, from a storage position 50, between thepressure hull 6 and the upper deck 12 in the pivot direction A (FIG. 1)into an operating position outside the submarine, said operatingposition being shown in the FIGS. 1 and 2.

For sucking oil out of the oil bubble 4 located below the ice sheet 2,the submarines represented in the FIGS. 1 and 2 are positioned such thatthe end of the snout 14 which points away in front of the submarine inthe operation position of the snout 14, projects into the oil bubble 4.The submarines themselves hereby are distanced to the ice sheet 2 by anadequate amount. In this position, the submarines are dynamically heldby an auxiliary drive in the form of an inline thruster 16. The inlinethruster 16 is arranged on the bow side of the submarine in anintermediate space 18 between the pressure hull 6 and the outer hull 10and is pivotable from a storage position within the intermediate space18, into an operational position outside the submarine.

On the part of the submarine, the snout 14 is connected to an oilsuction pump 20. Within the pressure hull 6, the seawater/oil mixturewhich is delivered by the oil suction pump 20 via the snout 14 out ofthe oil bubble 4 is led to an oil/water separating device 21. Theseawater separated from the oil there is led away out of the submarinevia a lock which is not represented in FIG. 1.

The remaining oil, with regard to the submarine represented in FIG. 1,is pumped from the oil/water separating device 21 into an oil tank 22 byway of a delivery pump which is not shown. As soon as the oil tank 22 iscompletely filled, the submarine seeks out a harbour or a surfacevessel, where the oil located in the oil tank 22 is transferred. Thesubmarine subsequently travels back to its deployment location.

With the submarines represented in FIGS. 2 and 3, the oil separated inthe oil/water separating device 21 is stored in an intermediate storagedevice 23. The oil is led to a filling device with a delivery pump whichis not represented in the drawing and which is arranged at the exit sideof the intermediate storage device 23. The filling device comprises atransport device 24 which automatically receives flexible oil tanks in astorage space 26, which are able to be brought out of the submarine, andpositions them in front of a filling nozzle 28 of the filling device ina lock 30 which runs out at the keel of the submarine. The flexible oiltank is then connected to the filling nozzle 28 and thus to the fillingdevice. The flexible oil tank which is fastened on the filling nozzle 28is brought via the lock 30 into the outer environment of the submarineand there is filled with the oil out of the intermediate storage device23. After the end of the filling procedure, the filling nozzle 28 isdecoupled from the oil tank and the oil tank floats in the direction ofthe surface of the water where it is received by another submarine andbrought to a harbor or to a surface support vessel.

Moreover, the submarines represented in the FIGS. 1 and 2 each comprisea storage tank 32 for chemical oil decomposition means. These oildecomposition means can be brought via the snout 14 into the oil bubble4 by way of a pump 34 which is connected upstream of the snout 14.

The submarine represented in FIG. 3 differs from the submarinerepresented in FIG. 2 only with respect to the design of the snout forsucking oil out of the oil bubble 4. The submarine according to FIG. 2comprises a snout 36 which is formed by a hose, thus is designed in aflexible manner. The snout 36 in a storage position is rolled up on ahose drum 38 located in the intermediate space between the pressure hull6 and the upper deck 12. The snout 36 is rolled off from the hose drum38, in order to bring the snout 36 into its operating position. Thesnout 36 in an end section of the snout 36 which is away from the hosedrum 38 is fastened on an ROV 40. The snout 36 is moved in the directionof the oil bubble 4 in a remotely guided manner by the ROV 40 such thata suction cup 42 arranged at the free end of the snout 36 projects intothe oil bubble 4. The sucking of the oil and the filling of the flexibleoil tanks are subsequently effected as was described with regard to thesubmarine according to FIG. 1.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the application of the principles ofthe invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodiedotherwise without departing from such principles.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A submarine comprising: a snout which isconduit-connected to a conduit leading into the submarine and a pump,the snout, the pump and the conduit forming an oil suction devicesucking away oil into the submarine; a pressure hull defining aninterior space; an outer hull forming an upper deck of the submarine;and an oil tank for receiving sucked away oil, the oil tank being in theinterior space for submerged travel with the submarine, wherein thesnout is designed in a rigid manner and is pivotable from a positionbetween the pressure hull of the submarine and the outer hull formingthe upper deck of the submarine, into a position outside the outer hull.2. A submarine according to claim 1, further comprising an oil locatingdevice.
 3. A submarine according to claim 1, further comprising anoil/water separating device.
 4. A submarine according to claim 1,further comprising a decomposition substance stored on the submarine anda device supplying oil decomposition substance comprising the pump,wherein the snout is connectable to the pump, wherein the snout isconnectable to the pump for directing the decomposition substance towardoil for combating oil when submerged.
 5. A submarine comprising: a hullcomprising a pressure hull defining an interior space and an outer hullforming an upper deck; a plurality of oil tanks connected to the hulland supported by the hull for submerged travel therewith; a fillingdevice comprising a pump connected to the hull and supported by the hullfor submerged travel therewith and a filling nozzle; a fluid conduit andsnout, the fluid conduit extending into the hull and fluidicallyconnecting the snout to at least one of the oil tanks via the fillingnozzle, the fluid conduit being supported by the hull for submergedtravel therewith and the snout being supported by the hull for submergedtravel therewith, the pump being operatively connected to the fluidconduit for pumping oil; and a lock for bringing the oil tanks out ofthe submarine and into an outer environment of the submarine.
 6. Asubmarine according to claim 5, wherein the snout comprises a rigidsnout part that is mounted to pivot from a position between the pressurehull and the upper deck into a position outside the outer hull.
 7. Asubmarine according to claim 5, further comprising a remotely operatedvehicle, wherein the snout includes a flexible conduit part fastened tothe ROV.
 8. A submarine according to claim 5, further comprising an oillocating device connected to the hull.
 9. A submarine according to claim5 further comprising an oil/water separating device.
 10. A submarinecomprising: a hull comprising a pressure hull defining an interior spaceand an outer hull forming an upper deck; an oil suction pump within thepressure hull and connected to the hull and supported by the hull forsubmerged travel therewith; an oil storage device connected to the hulland supported by the hull for submerged travel therewith; a fluidconduit and snout, the fluid conduit extending into the pressure hulland fluidically connecting the snout to the oil storage device, thefluid conduit being supported by the hull for submerged travel therewithand the snout being supported by the hull for submerged traveltherewith, the snout, fluid conduit and the pump forming parts of atleast one oil suction device; a plurality of oil tanks within aninterior of the pressure hull and supported by the hull for submergedtravel therewith; a filling device comprising a filling nozzle connectedto the oil storage device, the filling nozzle being connectable to atleast one of the oil tanks to fill the at least one of the oil tankswith oil from the oil storage device; and a lock for bringing the oiltanks out of the submarine and into an outer environment of thesubmarine.
 11. A submarine according to claim 10, wherein the oilstorage device comprises an oil water separating device within thepressure hull and connected to the hull and supported by the hull forsubmerged travel therewith and an intermediate storage device within thepressure hull and connected to the hull and supported by the hull forsubmerged travel therewith.
 12. A submarine according to claim 10,wherein the snout comprises a rigid snout part that is mounted to pivotfrom a position between the pressure hull and the upper deck into aposition outside the outer hull.